Buccaneers running out of options at this position group vs. Seahawks

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are beyond banged up right now. They had 19 players appear on their initial injury report of the week as they look toward a West Coast road trip against the Seattle Seahawks.

Standing at 3-1, the Bucs have had most of their injuries isolated to the offensive side of the ball this season. That changed this week, with several members of the Buccaneers defense also injured, and their status for Sunday’s game is in question. However, of all the position groups affected, the cornerback room, which was once considered a strength, has been hit the hardest.

The Buccaneers' cornerback room is looking bleak

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean (35) runs an intercepted back for a touchdown against the New York Jets. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Starting corner Jamel Dean is dealing with a hip injury and has yet to practice this week. Neither has his top backup, Benjamin Morrison, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. To further complicate matters, Christian Izien is still dealing with a quad injury, and his status is up in the air as well.

Due to all the injuries in the defensive secondary, the group of starters that take the field on Sunday could likely be very different than what it’s been on the field the first four weeks. The Bucs have built solid depth, but beyond that, they have littered the secondary with versatility, which could come in handy this week.

So let’s assume the worst. Let’s say Dean, Morrison and Izien are out for Sunday. What could the Bucs secondary look like against the Seahawks?

There are a few different combinations Todd Bowles could deploy on Sunday. The first of which is to move Jacob Parrish from the slot to the perimeter. Doing so would leave a hole at nickel, but they could drop Tykee Smith (who is dealing with an ankle injury, but practicing) down in that position and have Kaevon Merriweather fill in at safety. Not ideal, but the Bucs don’t have many options.

However, if they didn’t want to shake up the secondary too much, another option is to leave Smith and Parrish where they are at and trust in Kindle Vildor to man the other spot across from Zyon McCollum. In that instance, the Buccaneers could also elevate Bryce Hall from the practice squad as insurance. Hall probably comes up this week if one or both corners can’t go.

Hall and Vildor had excellent training camps and preseason, but trusting them to guard Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Ngigba might be something they don't want to resort to.

It’s likely the Bucs roll with the first option to get their best 11 out there if Dean, Morrison and Izien can’t go on Sunday. Sliding Parrish to the perimeter and dropping Smith down to nickel when the situation calls for it is the safest call the team can make.

With one practice remaining this week, if there isn’t a significant improvement by any of their injured defensive backs, the Buccaneers defense will be handicapped against the Seahawks as they try to right the ship after a tough loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

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